Outfit post-

Hi :)
I spent my summer locked (really! motion sensors and passcodes everywhere) in the basement of a museum for an internship. Sooo much less dressing up and no blogging :(

I tried to get a few makeup shots on my non-lolita days...this was the only one I managed

Overall I've found my style drifting this summer/fall, much more 'street style' with lolita influences than straight up loli. I rarely post to lolita comms so I don't really mind. I do think I will work to tighten up my coords and evolution of my closet this winter...hopefully.

On to the outfits

Casual classic, the skirt has a textured velvet pattern.

Bolero creep :o Went to a rugby game and celtic festival.

Pale dolly-kei-esque. I used this dress in my very first '1 item many ways' happy to get another look out of it. my first try at mixing white and creme, I wanted a nomadic look.

Simple coord, 'kimono' printed dress

Retro feel

I added a cage skirt over the red underskirt at the venue. I rarely get the chance to do something so dramatic.

Summer here can be quite warm. Sorry unbuckled shoes

Who ever thought to make reversible vests? they don't flatter and sag constantly :/

I'm not big on animal prints but little touches of them are winning me over :)

salopettes and poodle print socks :)

The print for this skirt is inspired by the scene in Snow White were the queen dips the apples in poison. The poison dripping off the apples is glitter!
I went shopping with my mother, about halfway through the day she noticed the mushrooms on my head :D

Just a drapey outfit, I think it would look better with sleeves but it was too hot that day...next time.

pop retro

Bone bruise :( Anyway cute crutches almost make up for having to use them.

I saw this cute picture of the little twin stars grown up and it inspired this coord. Very comfy

Apples otome.

I really love this teal color :) Ran into another loli on campus, what a fun surprise.

Floaty fabrics and pale blues. I've really favored these socks since I got them but they are starting to sag :/

More retro, this dress is made with vintage fabric

Going for the sort of otome x mori look of brands like Axes Femme.

I helped out with an office party on campus with a children's book theme. I did all the decorating and food!

ended up being called strawberry shortcake so many times

I even found a minute to sit and eat complete junkfood :) The starbursts were 'super powers' guests pinned to themselves to become superheros. It was a boring Tuesday office party.... silly games were a necessity :D

Only webcam shots of this outfit :( I really love it so I'll have to wear it again.

Yellow jsk with little stars and moon print and pink blouse.

Finally coming up on fuzzy accessory season :) pink sock with yellow print, white boots.

Thanks for looking :D

I hope to film a few more wig/hair tutorials this week. Including doing a cute heart shaped braid!

Angel socks review

A little review :)
I have seen these cute socks in Japanese magazine street snaps for awhile now and never could find the brand that sold them. Finally I found the brand name listed and as luck would have it they are an US company. They offer mix and match prints and styles for custom tights, thigh highs, leggings and socks of all types. I was very excited to order these and now that I have them here is a review!


Celeste Stein ‘first kiss’ print opaque thigh highs. http://celestestein.com/

Ordering: The website is quite easy to navigate and has nice clear pictures of the prints offered. But nowhere does it specify if the prints are repeating or only appear once on the socks. If I hadn’t seen these socks in worn pictures I most likely would have skipped this cute design. Another little gripe is that the shipping cost is not shown until you have already entered your payment info; shipping for one pair was 7.95… a bit steep for a tiny item shipped one state over. They use flat rate shipping (for up to how many items I don’t know) if I had known this in advance I might have considered buying multiple pairs. After paying I received a conformation email letting me know that each order is custom printed and would be shipped 3-10 days after the order was placed. This was not stated on the website, the wait time doesn’t bother me but I can imagine some people might be ordering with an event or deadline and have a problem with this.

Shipping:
They were shipped Aug. 15th and arrived Aug. 18th actual postage was $4.75 shipped USPS priority mail. The socks were not wrapped in anything just placed in a large (very much larger that the item) cardboard envelope. The fact they weren’t in plastic doesn’t bother me but in areas with more rain it could be a bit of a problem.

The sock themselves:
I knew I was going to love the design after seeing them so many times :) the print is vibrant and detailed in person. They are thick enough to stay opaque when worn (even over my skin tone) and the pattern is not visibly distorted by my leg size. They stay up very well and I didn’t notice any slipping when worn. There is no ‘foot’ part of the thigh highs they look like tube sock. The fit of the sock is a bit off though…first off here are my leg measurements (I think my legs are fairly average sized but I do have slightly thick thighs ;P)
Ankle: 7inches
Widest part of calf: 11 inches
Thigh where sock ends: 15 inches
Inseam: 37 inches O_0
Mainstream brand socks (target, forever 21, etc.) fit me well save for the length issue.
The thigh highs are true to length as listed on the website. The really nice thing is they have socks in many lengths so girls of all height s can find something fitting!

The fit issues start for me with the fact one is slightly tighter than the other one and the reinforced band at the top is slightly wider. I think the tightness issue will resolve itself after a few wears but the band problem is visible. The other issue is bagging at the ankle, the socks don’t conform to my ankle very much, with most Lolita shoes this isn’t too obvious but it is unflattering.

For fit recommendations I’m not sure I’d recommend (at least this style) for anyone with too much larger of legs. I do think is pattern, the once repeating type, is very forgiving to stretch much more so then the all over repeating style of some of the prints offered. I tried sliding my arm into the socks and stretching them to see at what size they distorted at, a few inches more at each measurement would be all I’d recommend, again the stretch-ability of the other styles offered might be different.

Over all I really love these socks, much more for the cute design then the fit or service. If I didn’t like the print these would have been a total bust for me. Chances are I will be buying another pair or two. The issues I mentioned with shipping cost surprises and wait times aren’t really an issue, they just were an unwelcome surprise for a first time buyer and won’t bother me in future purchases. I will be checking retailers and eBay auctions that have her socks for better deals. I have seen the more popular designs resold often, at time at lower price (especially when you include shipping).
Pros:
Cute vibrant design
True to size listed
Cons:
Fit issues
Unclear shipping policies

I can't wait to coordinate with these :D
Thanks for reading, hope this was helpful!

One item / seven ways: Veggie JSK

In a world of sweets and cake prints wandered a lone vegetable print dress, promoting salads in the face of a sugar tidal wave ;D

This dress tends to get pushed to the back of my closet only to be worn with boring white blouses and socks. I wanted to work on playing up the smaller color details in the print and the overall feel of the dress.


With prints like this (horizontally striped and repeating) changing the whole look of the JSK is a bit harder because it comes off as distinctive and eye-catching (sometimes bordering on too busy). Brands like E.T.C. and Shirley Temple often release prints with this type of patterning, but even brands like AP have prints like Royal Poodle that utilize repeating.

Marshmallow Monday
Comfy and casual with a big fluffy statement purse. Perfect, I think, for Mondays when you need to look cute (and get out the door fast) but aren't ready to give up weekend comforts.
*Off-white knit
*Heart purse
*White sandals
*Bracelet
Hair: Low fluffy curled ponytail
Make-up: Pale pink creme blush, brown eyeliner/mascara, glossed lip.

Midnight Garden
Playing this a little darker with more sophisticated accessories. The JSK stands out in it's brighter colors but the darker sleeker pieces subdue the whole look drawing the eye to the darker details.

*Teal blouse
*Dark green OTK socks
*Black t-strap heels
*Blue flower hair clip
*Black purse
Hair: Clip in ponytail side bun w/ flower clip, side swept bang.
Make-up: Light smokey eye in purple, silver liner on bottom lid, soft berry lip.

Academy Retreat
Giving a bit of structure and pushing the waistline down in this look gives the outfit a more refined touch. The bits of white keep the look light and youthful.
*Grey jacket
*Grey tights
*White hat
*White heels
*Box purse
*Bracelets
Hair: Soft long curls
Make-up: Peach cheek, champagne eye, rose matte lip.

Bo Peep Redux
A pumped up version of how I normally wear this JSK. Ruffled lace on the wristcuffs, old-school headdress and blouse give a soft girly appearance.
*White blouse
*White socks
*White headdress
*Wristcuffs
*Sheep purse
*White shoes
Hair: Half up in two pigtails, the rest down and curled.
Make-up: Light eyes, fake lashes, berry cheek, pale glossed lip.

Shepherdess Sugar
A bit of a novelty coord, I was thinking of some of the lovely Juliet et Justine models and the sort of disaffected innocence in their ads. The green in the jacket complements the same color in the print and the shimmery cream off-sets the icy-er blue in the background of the dress.
*Green jacket
*Cream tights
*Shimmer cream boots
*Hat
*Parasol
*Green bow
*Cream flowers
Hair: High curly side ponytail
Make-up: Brown 'smokey' eye, carrot blush, nude lip.

Soft Meadow
Casual but still pulled together perfect for a relaxed meet-up or a summer lunch or a pastoral stroll while petting be-ribboned animals ;) Layering the tops over the dress (and keeping the under one unbuttoned for a looser look) changes the whole appearance of the JSK.
*White sleeveless blouse
*Tan cardigan
*JSK matching headbow
*White beaded purse
*White sandals
Hair: Pincurls
Make-up: Soft rose eye, shimmer cheek, glossed lip.

No Country for Frilly Girls
I love loose layers and brown details. I wanted to bring out a more natural rustic feel to the country/veggie print of this JSK.
*White blouse
*Blue chiffon vest
*Straw hat
*White crinkle socks
*Brown boots
*Brown purse
*Cream rose ring
*Autograph book
Hair: Two low fishtail braids.
Make-up: Gold shimmer liner/eye, peach cheek, petal pink matte lip.

Overall I enjoyed playing with coordinating this JSK, it was a bit of a challenge. I was really hoping to get a coord with red accents but couldn't find a way to make it work with the pieces I have currently. Sandals and sockless looks appears a few times inspired by the lovely weather recently (although today is windy as f@#k) and could be dressed up by switching the white sandals out for close toed shoes. The outfits seem to have a split between casual and dramatic which I think mirrors my own dressing style :)


Hope you all are had a wonderful week and that your weekend will be tons of fun!

Outfit catch-up

Quite a few pictures here ;P


Bubble blowing. I got asked so many times on campus if I was rush-ing for a sorority.

Mili-pretty. I love my local army surplus :)

Mori-esque mondays, I seem to wear mori coords on mondays, perfect to start off a week.

An 'in a hurry' outfit. Simple and (prematurely) summer-y.

Veggie casual. I have two veg print dresses (the other one is the next one item/many ways) it's good to have a few savory pieces ;p

Natural doll. I'm becoming such a big fan of cream and brown/straw.

Possibly my new favorite coord. The jacket is handsewn with period techniques out of cotton velvet (sometimes i wear it with a proper 18th century outfit) and the skirt is started it's life as a table cloth. My hair has two sets of braids round the back ending with the curls over one shoulder.

Ginger caramel. I'm loving these shoes, they have lace like cutouts and little bows on the sides.
Those socks are my snow dot tights cut down because they got super duper ripped, but they make cute ankle sock now :D

Tulip rosa. This cardi is not very figure flattering when worn with skirts but I love it too much.
Lots of layering for silly spring weather.




Now some non-lolita outfits. I wear lolita (or related/inspired) only about 75% of the time but I rarely take pics of non-loli outfits.

So windy this day :} but I did get a piggy filled with lychee jelly.

Panda breakfast. The skirt has little coffee cups and toast print.

Went to a bridal shower, so I thought i should dress like an adult :p

Soft, messy, girly? Grey and pink is becoming a favorite color combo of mine. And of course photobombed by my pup.


Easter outfit, I just went shopping to stock up on half priced candy :) I really like the idea of rompers and short socks with sandals is a guilty pleasure of mine.

And finally jeans! This is the first pair of jeans I've owned in about 4 years. I'm still super self-conscious about wearing them :\

Hope your week is going lovely :D